Improvement in musical instruments



f Tl' PATENm JUL111871 UNITED STATES KILBURN SMITII, OF LOIVELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 116,879, dated July ll, 1871.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, KILBURN SMITH, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this speciiication, in Which- Figure 1 is a pla-n of that part of aviolin to which my improvement is applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are different elevations of my invention and improvement detached from the instrument.

This invention relates to an improvement in musical instruments of the viol kind, such as the violin, the cello, and bass-viol, or other instruments whereon the strings are attuned by drawin g or tightening them with operatin g-screws or pegs. This invention has for its object to provide a supplementary or auxiliary and simultaneous string-tuning mechanism arranged within or upon that part of the instrument which holds the knotted ends of the strings, whereby the I pi'tch or tone of the instrument may be iiattened or sharpened to accord with another instrument or instruments without disturbing or changing the position ofthe ordinary tuning-screws. This invention consists of a peculiarly-constructed device or mechanism which is arranged within a recess in the under side of the string-holding tail-piece of a violin or other similar instrument, and is slotted to correspond with the string-slots in the tail-piece, and operated by a screw, or by equivalent means, to tighten or to slacken all the strings simultaneously, but cach in a dilferent degree, and thereby hatten or sharpen the pitch or tone of the instrument by a single operating mechanism. My invention also consists in the process, substantially as described, of retuning or raising or lowering the pitch or tone of a musical stringed instrument ofthe viol kind by tightening or slaekening all the strings at once, said strings being connected with and actuated by a fulcrum-lever adjusted by a screw or its equivalent.

In the said drawing, A represents the stringholding tail-piece, constructed and slotted for the strings in the usual way. In the under side of the tail-piece, and near its forward end, I form a recess a little more than half the thickness of the stock. An adjusting-screw, B, is inserted through the tail-piece, and generally through a metal plate, g, at or n ear the rear part of the recess, by which to adjust or operate the tuning mechanism or string-tightening lever C. This string-tightening lever or attuning mechanism is constructed as clearly shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and (i of the drawing, and its shape in the horizontal plane may conform to the shape of the recess before described, and in the recess I place this lever against the lower end of the adjusting screw, and connect and draw the strings l), A, E, and G, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The stringreceiving slots o in the lever come directly under those in the tail-piece, and in the lower side of the lever these slots terminate each about the same distance from the forward or straight fulerum end, but in the upper side of the lever the termination of the slots is varied relatively with the fulerum of the lever, which is on an angle and on the line j' across the forward end. It will be seen that the slot o3 in the lever is cut entirely through the forward end, and nearly down te the ii'ulerum-line f. This slot e3 is for the reception. of the D-string, which, when the instrument is in tune with itself, requires the least amount of motion and apparently the greater power of leverage to give the required change in the pitch or tone. The slot c2 is also cut through the end of the lever, and terminates a little farther from the fulcrun'l-line. The slot c2 is for the reception ofthe A-string, which requires a little more motion and apparently less leverage than the D-string to preserve the required uniform pitch of one with the other, and this degree of motion and leverage is suitably varied by varying the distance between the termination ofthe slot and the fulcrum-line. The slot c1 terminates a little back of the end of the lever and farther from the fulcrum. This slot o1 is for the reception ofthe E-string, which requires a little more motion and appareiitly less leverage than the A- string to preserve the uniform pitch, and the degree of motion and leverage is suitably varied by thus increasing the distance between the fulerum and the termination of the slot. The Grstring, which enters the slot c, requires about half the motion and apparently less leverage to preserve its pitch than the E-string. The formation of the fulcrum with its greatest projection at the side and near the horizontal center ofthe musical stringed instrument in practice, the in strument is first attuned in the usual waythat is, so a-s to be in tune with or of itself, and when thus attuued the pitch or tone of the instrument is liable, from various causes, such as change of temperature, humidity, &c., to become sharpened or flattened, so as not to accord with. other instruments. In suchv cases, in order to raise or lower the tone or pitch ofthe instrument, I simply turn the adjustingsscrew B a little in the right direction, which actuates the tuninglever, and either tightens or slackens all the strings simultaneously, and each in a suitable degree, and immediately brings the instrument again in tune with the other instrument or instruments, and at the same time keeps it in tune with itself.

I contemplate that skillful artisans may modifyv my invention in various ways, and that a lip or shouldered flange, (l, may be applied to the under side and across the forward end of the tailpiece, and the fulcrum-lever take its bearing against this iiange, and thus avoid the formation of the recess for the reception of the lever.

I claim as my invention- The adjusting -lever (l, constructed as described, with an end fulcrum, and varying string-slots c, c1, Snc., applied to the tail-piece A, orto that part ofthe instrument which holds the knotted ends of the strings, and actuated by a screw, or its mechanical equi 'alent, for the purpose of adjusting all the strings simultaneously.

KILB U RN SMIT I l.

Vitnesses JonN E. CRANE, A. A. liLin'r. 

